


Grease Monkeys

by thegorillaarchives



Series: Month of Banana Bread (June 2017) [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, M/M, Month of Banana Bread, and the ship is subtle, only mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 02:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11094843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegorillaarchives/pseuds/thegorillaarchives
Summary: With a radio, a stranded stranger, and a good heart, can a lonely mechanic find a friend outside of his work? Even mechanics want to have fun.





	Grease Monkeys

Every day was the same for Gorilla. In the morning he would wake up to the gentle crooning of his radio which would only pull him to get dressed to the sweet tunes that would be better fit with the youth hoping for love around the next corner. He would put on his overalls, comfortable in the worn material that was covered in grease stains. It wasn’t a far walk to the shop so he usually made his way there with the lunch he packed the day before. He hums on his way, bobbing his head to the song that stuck in his head.

When he stepped into the shop he was greeted as warmly as usual, earning his own wave in hello. The others looked to him, he had been there the longest. Likely where the nickname came from as he was leader of the group called grease monkeys. He was their Gorilla, their leader. He returns to the car that had been his constant companion for the last week as he tried to fully upgrade it for this decade.

The man who owned it was named Agreste, Gorilla thought he cared more about the shell of the car than what it took to make it move. He tossed his money around, and expected results when they could only be called a miracle in action. Still with the garage radio on loud, he could only smile as he hummed away with the offkey singing from the men working around him. He was more than happy with his job and his coworkers. He trusted their judgements as much as his own.

That simple fact made it easy to wander away from the jalopy he had been elbow deep in to meet a tow. The car that was towed in seemed to still groan when it was tried to be coaxed into a start. Gorilla whistled deep as he turned to look at the owner. He was a large man, but he definitely looked like he was from out of town. He looked quite ashamed of his car and how it was currently. He could only wipe his right hand on his overalls before offering it to the other. The other shakes his hand with a rather decent grip, but he is the first to release the grip as Gorilla takes in his new client.

“Gorilla, this is Tom. Tom Dupain. His car has been makin’ this sound for a while, today it wouldn’t move. Thought ya would be the best for it.” the mechanic that had met the tow first commented with a shrug of his shoulder. Gorilla raises his brow at Tom as he couldn’t simply believe someone would wait a lot time with a car wheezing like it was on death’s door.

Tom blushed under the look and Gorilla couldn’t help his own blush coming up. Oh goodness, he hadn’t met someone he would deem  _ cute _ in so long. He nods a bit, shaking off the rush of colors hidden away under his beard. He will smile to the other mechanic and take the clipboard. He gestures for the tow to leave the car and head off, they’ll move the car in later. Now he was reading over the notes on the board with Tom following him into the office.

Gorilla taps along the large calendar that has all the projects on it. He taps lightly at a few days from the current time and writes in when Tom will come back for estimates and some down work on the groaning car. The other mechanic had taken some notes on what may be the problem. He gives Tom a general ballpark to start. But the man is quick to explain that he has nowhere to stay for now. He was making a cross country trip. Gorilla looks up with a soft sigh.

A cross country trip in  _ that _ car.

“I have a spare room,” Gorilla murmurs with a raised brow at Tom. The man couldn’t get far if he turned out to be a thief. And Gorilla had enough training that inviting a stranger wouldn’t end up with him dead. What can he say? He was always one to help someone out if he got a good feeling. Tom seemed like a good guy, one that just didn’t realize how long a cross country trip would be.

Either way, the offer seemed to shock Tom. He seems to weigh his options and already minimal funds. He agrees and he apologizes to Tom but he is working until closing. He can stay here if he likes, otherwise he could wander elsewhere until the end of the day. Tom decides to stay, possibly cleaning up the little office. He watches how everyone interacts with Gorilla, and realizes that it seems the man is a favorite of everyone else. He felt better and better about the agreement for the time being.

The singing might’ve been his favorite part of the day. It seemed the radio determined the mood of the whole place and even some had specific parts in songs that obviously played more than others. It was a nice day. Even lunch which was rather small as Gorilla split what he packed with Tom with an understanding smile.

It was lunch that taught Tom that Gorilla rarely spoke. The guys around him often played translator for the man who was able to give various grunts and gestures to explain himself well enough. But the translators left before Gorilla even thought to move. It left Tom sitting on a chair as he watched Gorilla work away, waiting for whenever he thought they should go home.

Eventually that time found its way to the present. Gorilla began packing up, Tom found a rag that looked clean to gently rub away the grease speck that found its way on Gorilla’s forehead through the day (only made worse when Tom tried to explain where it was and Gorilla’s greasy hands left more trails by the original speck). The walk home was quiet, relatively comfortable. All Tom could think about was that if he was walking alone, this walk would be painfully lonely. The entire street seemed barren from life. Lights were dim around them or off altogether. The street lamps were the only real source of light for them to focus on.

He wondered briefly how many lonely walks Gorilla took.

Dinner was nice. Gorilla cooked a small meal that was thankfully filling after their sparse lunch. Gorilla set up the guest room and showed Tom the area. Either way, he was obviously worn out and headed to bed after a gentle nod in Tom’s direction.

He fell asleep to the sounds of Tom cleaning up after their dinner. 

When he awoke to the gentle croons of his radio, he heard a soft and perfectly on key voice singing along with it as breakfast was cooked. All Gorilla could do was smile. He wasn’t alone. At least for now.

**Author's Note:**

> 4 out of 30 down, tune in tomorrow for my response to the prompt Age Down. Also go to http://bananabreadfan.tumblr.com/ for the entire 30 day prompt set!


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